WEST CHESTER >> The new year brought a new leadership team and a new child abuse investigator to the Chester County Detectives Office, the investigative arm of the county District Attorney’s Office.
On Thursday, District Attorney Thomas Hogan announced that he had named Lt. Kevin Dykes to be the new chief of county Detectives, a move that had been anticipated in law enforcement circles.
In addition, Hogan said he had promoted Sgt. Michael McGinnis to be Dykes second-in-command. The veteran county law enforcement officer will now have the rank of lieutenant.
“The Chester County District Attorney’s Office is fortunate to have strong leadership for our detectives,” Hogan said in a press release. “Kevin Dykes and Mike McGinnis have proven themselves as investigators, supervisors, and team players. They are known and respected throughout Chester County law enforcement for their skill and integrity.”
Earlier in the week, Hogan announced that the office had added a new detective who would initially be assigned to the DA’s Child Abuse Unit. Detective Oscar Rosado had previously worked as a detective in the Kennett Square Police Department, and had been trained as a forensic investigator in child abuse cases.
“Detective Rosado is a key addition to the Chester County Detectives,” said Hogan. “He is an experienced and accomplished investigator, having handled major drug, violent crime and child abuse investigations. In addition, he is fluent in Spanish, an important tool in many investigations.”
Dykes replaces former Chief James Vito, who retired from the office on Dec. 31 after having served as a detective since 1979. Dykes is only the fifth man to head the office since 1975. Detectives are divided into several areas: major crimes, child abuse, drugs and organized crime, computer forensics and crime scene forensics.
“It is truly an honor and a privilege to be promoted to chief of the Chester County Detectives,” Dykes was quoted as saying in Hogan’s press release. “I am grateful for this opportunity given to me by District Attorney Hogan to lead this outstanding group of individuals.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank Chief Vito, who has been a mentor to me over the past four years,” he continued. “I look forward to continuing the working relationships that have been established between the Chester County Detectives and the entire law enforcement community in Chester County and throughout the region.”
Dykes came to the county Detectives in 2001 after a career as a state police trooper, in which he rose to the rank of corporal. He had been assigned to the detectives’ Major Crimes Unit, investigating homicides, violent crimes, financial crimes and drug violations, and was a key member of the DA’s Homicide Task Force, which investigated a series of violent murders in Coatesville in the mid-2000s. He was promoted to the position of lieutenant in 2012.
McGinnis has served with the county Detectives since 2000, having begun his law enforcement career with the West Chester Police Department in 1986. As a line detective, he worked in the Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Forensics Unit and the Drugs and Organized Crime Unit. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2013. Most recently, he supervised the Major Crimes Unit. He is considered an expert in forensic communications investigations.
“I am grateful to District Attorney Hogan and Chief Dykes for the confidence they have shown in me,” he said in the release. “I am honored to work with such an exceptional team of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and office staff.”
Rosado was born in Puerto Rico, and worked extensively with the county Detectives in Operation Telarana, a drug investigation that dismantled a Mexican drug trafficking organization that was run out of southern Chester County. Hogan said he has previously played an important role in helping the DA’s Office to interact with the Latino community in the county, including working on events with the Maternal and Child Health Consortium and La Communidad Hispana.
Dykes and McGinnis will be formally sworn in at 1 p.m. on Friday in Courtroom 2 of the Justice Center before Judge Anthony Sarcione.
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
